Perdition's Mouth: Revised Edition

Spiel direkt eG vertreibt nur die englische Version dieses Spiels, daher ist der nachfolgende Text auf Englisch.

Perdition's Mouth is a new kind of dungeon crawl, one that embraces the European school of game design with clever and elegant mechanisms and emphasizes strategy while minimizing luck. Cooperation, planning, and the enemy response deck eliminate the need for chucking dice, creating a tense combat environment with meaningful decisions! The rondels provide another tactical layer, including the enemy's devious and challenging AI.

Cooperative play for 1-6 players: Designed as a fully cooperative game, Perdition’s Mouth accommodates from one to six players acting as the game’s heroes delving ever deeper into the Abyssal Rift. Due to its design and the widely varying skills of each hero, a single character is unlikely to last long against the challenges that await the heroes. As such, it is advised that solo players, and perhaps even two players, take a party of at least three characters into the darkness that awaits. Wisely choosing characters based on what might be deemed the most successful combination of skills and abilities is as important as how players draw upon their collective abilities to overcome obstacles. 

Immersive RPG feel: Perdition’s Mouth is essentially a dungeon crawl adventure-style game set within a campaign-style collection of scenarios, but it does have very strong role-playing elements that materialise in the different styles in which each character plays. This is due predominantly to the wide variety of skills and abilities each possess. Clever mechanics govern the non-player characters, negating the need for a ‘dungeon master’ role and bookkeeping for the heroes has been streamlined to alleviate the need for constant notation so frequently found in true RPG games. 

The Rondel: What must be considered the central focal point, around which all game actions literally revolve, is the Rondel mechanic. Two action Rondels dictate what actions become available, turn by turn, to both the group of intrepid heroes and to the wide variety of unspeakable foe that lurk within the dark shadows. Careful thought for each action a hero takes is crucial, as future actions are heavily influenced by each decision. Limited slots for available actions force the heroes to collaborate and draw upon their unique abilities to best utilise their skills for the good of the party. Foes are similarly directed on their own rondel which dictates their spawning and how they react to the presence of the hero party. This is not just some aimless walking holiday, picking off unthinking enemies and reaping great rewards with little consequence. No. This is a dark, brutal reality where ‘life’ is not so straightforward. Things often fail to go according to plan and adaptability is key to success. The rondel system effectively recreates the setbacks and advantages one would expect to face in real life, bringing a stark reality to the game. 

Immersive storylines: The game has been designed as an extensive, campaign-style, exploitative dungeon crawl, with each scenario having detailed flavour text to set the scene. But the gameplay itself, with no two plays alike, also drives a narrative for all the players. The real story is created as the heroes delve deeper and deeper into the Rift. The game has been designed to flow from one scenario to the next, growing the adventure story for the heroes, but each step of the journey can equally be played as a stand-alone adventure. The scenarios have been developed in such a way that heroes jumping into a stand-alone scenario, are equipped to emulate the level of a veteran hero who would have otherwise worked their way to this point the hard way. 

Character development: Characters have a base level of skills, abilities and health as would be expected from the genre, but useful items, abilities and skills can be gained throughout their journey, making them more adept at facing the growing challenges. However, wounds and injury are also accumulated, following a hero as they move deeper into the Rift. By this mechanism a greater depth and reality is injected into the game. A hero does not automatically become stronger and fitter from setting to setting. In Perdition’s Mouth careful decisions must be made to avoid excessive injury (or even death) in order to successfully progress with the campaign. 

Tactical miniature combat: Combat will be inevitable at times in Perdition’s Mouth. A clever mechanic has been developed to ensure a realistic yet easy to operate system for hand to hand and short distance combat encounters. Not only does a hero take health loss but re-occurring wounds and infections build to further hinder future actions. The cooperative nature of the game further encourages teamwork as heroes assist one another in the ensuing conflict to mitigate or, at least minimise the inevitable knock, scratch and bruise.